Adam Granduciel's head-to-toe denim recalled Bruce Springsteen, the same way his unkempt, near-shoulder length hair over his face did Kurt Cobain and his digressive soloing style did Stephen Malkmus. His music treads the territories of all three.
Thursday night, Granduciel was each of these songwriters and more - ranging from Bob Dylan to J. Spaceman - as he led his indie Americana four-piece outfit The War on Drugs through a successful headlining set at The Bishop that ran until 1:20 a.m.
Perhaps the Dylan comparison comes off a bit shallow - especially considering the countless artists that The War on Drugs are capable of evoking through performance - but it turns out Granduciel doesn't mind. Speaking over the phone from Washington last week, he wondered aloud why anyone would resist such a compliment.
"He's just a scholar, you know what I mean? A true master of what he does. So it doesn't get old because it's flattering at the same time."
It's no big secret that Granduciel listened to his fair share of Dylan as he was learning to write music, but he'll also admit he "doesn't really truly get it" every single time another critic draws the comparison.
"Maybe the lyrics," he guesses. "And I improvise."
And improvise he did during the set, time and time again. Between standouts "Best Night," "Baby Missiles," and set closer "Brothers," Granduciel mostly sang variations on all his melodies: rearranging inflections, shifting volume, accenting his hard consonants to different degrees, sometimes deviating from the melody entirely.
As spontaneous as his voice sounds on the verses of "Come to the City," Granduciel sounds even more like he's coming up with the words as he goes along in concert. The impulsiveness of his singing felt almost lackadaisical until he would suddenly seize control again to drop the song's one-line chorus that provided the epic peak of the group's latest album, Slave Ambient: "I been ramblin." No argument there.
But for every moment that called for a too-easy "Ramblin' Man" label, there were just as many that featured Granduciel and co. transitioning seamlessly in and out of drones abound with guitar reverb, synth, harmonica, and even trumpet. That type of harmony is certainly uncommon, but The War on Drugs can make it polarizing.
The War on Drugs' sound has been accurately characterized in starkly different ways, and there is no reason to believe that won't continue throughout their career, regardless of their next direction. Whatever you want to call it, it sure succeeds at filling up every single cubic inch of space available in a stage room like The Bishop's.
Post by Steven Arroyo; Photography by Chet Strange
